Refrigerating apparatus



Spt; 15, 1936.

c. J. SWIIGERT 2,054,144

REFR IGERA'I ING API ARATUS Filed July 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' saw *&

Sept. 15, 1936. sw 2,054,144 I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed July 19, 1934 25heets-Sheet 2 [LAKE/Q? ffw/amr :rureo mm erar FFECE REFRHGERATKNG APPARATUS Clarence J. Swigert, Detroit, Mich, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application July 19, 1934, Serial No, 736,003

3 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to fluid impellers such as may be used to circulate air over the cooling element of a room cooler.

It is an object of the invention to provide a rotary fluid impeller which is silent in operation and which will deliver a larger volumeof air against a higher resistance than that ordinarily obtained from a propeller or screw type fan.

It is also an object to provide a fluid impeller in which the maximum velocity in the air circuit may be kept relatively low and in which there is no rapid acceleration of the air in any part of the circuit.

A further object is to provide a fluid impeller having a low velocity of the air in the impeller, while maintaining the delivery of a large volume of air for a given size of impeller.

A further object is to provide an impeller having a central conical hubmember and an outer conical ring with air impelling blades located therebetween.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an air impeller unit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of a room cooler in which the impeller of the present invention is utilized;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom view partly broken away of the impeller shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 2, there is shown a room cooler comprising a cabinet I having a maerably at an angle of about 45.

The compartment I2 is lined The compartment 22 is lined with sound absorbing material Within the machinery compartment there is provided a refrigerant liquefying unit which preferably includes a motor 28, a com-.

pressor 30, driven by a belt drive 32 from the motor 28, a water cooled condenser 34 connected by conduit 35 to the compressor and a heat absorbing coil 36 for extracting heat from the compartment l2. A conduit 38 connects the condenser 34 with an expansion valve 40 which may be located within the compartment H6. The expansion valve 40 admits refrigerant to the evaporating coil 42 from whence it is returned by a line 44 to the compressor 30. A drip pan 46 is disposed beneath the coil 42 to collect water condensed on the coil 42. The partition 20 is provided with a flanged aperture 48 within which is located a rotary fluid impeller 50 mounted on the shaft of the motor 52 which is supported in the cabinet on resilient mountings 54. A thermostat 56 is mounted in the compartment 22 and controls the operation of the motor 28 in accordance with the temperatures produced in the compartment 22. The motors 28 and 52 are preferably fed from the same electrical supply lines 58, the motor 52 being controlled independently of the motor 28 by a manual switch 60, while the motor 28 is controlled manually by a switch 6|.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, the impeller 50 comprises a central hub member 62 which may be formed by an inner member 64 having a bore 66 for receiving the motor shaft and by an outer skirt member 68 preferably formed of sheet metal, as by stamping, and secured to the back of the inner hub member 64 by a plurality of bolts 10 and locating studs 12. It will be seen that the surface of the members 64 and 68 is such that a continuous cone is formed from the lower end of the bore 66 to the outer rim of the skirt 68.

A plurality of curved blades 14 are uniformly spaced around the member 62 and are secured to the hub 62 in any suitable manner such as by rivets 16 passing through securing lugs 18 formed on the blades 14. The blades 14 carry at their opposite sides an annular rim member 80 having a conical portion 82 parallel to the conical member 62 and a rolled toroidal rim portion 84. The ring member is secured to the blades 14 as by rivets 86 passing through securing lugs 88 formed constant ratio to its angular motion about the axis of the cone. The form of the blades 14 is also.

such that at any point along the length of the blade, the entire surface of the blade will coincide with a line normal to'the cone surface at the point of intersection of the blade surface and the cone surface, except insofar as the stiffening ribs 90 depart from this form.

In operation, the manual switch 60 is closed placing the motor 52 in operation, thus rotating the air impeller 50 to cause a circulation of air into the grilled openings l8 over the coil 42 through the impeller 50 and out thegrilled opening 24. At times when the room temperature is not uncomfortably high, this will provide a ready means of circulating the entire body of air in a room. At times when the room temperature is uncomfortably high, the switch 6| may also be closed and the thermostat 56 will close the circuit to the motor 28, placing in operation the refrigerant liquefying unit which by the compressor withdraws gaseous refrigerant from the coil 42 through the conduit 44 and delivers compressedgaseous refrigerant through the conduit to the condenser 34. A supply of cooling fluid, such as tap water, is fed to the coil 36 from whence it passes to the condenser 34 condensing the compressed refrigerant therein before passing drawal of heat from the air passing over the coils 42. The water of condensation removed from the air by reduction of the temperature thereof upon the coils 42 is collected in the drip pan 46, from which it may be removed either by with- .drawing the pan 46 and emptying it periodically,

or by providing a suitable conduit to a convenient drain (not shown) i It will be seen that the impeller 50 provides, by means of the inner and outer cones 62 and 82 respectively, a conduit of generally conical form having a smoothly rounded entrance provided by the toroidal rim 84. With the impeller being rotated in the direction of the arrow shown'in Fig. 4, it will be seen that the inner leading edge 14 of the blades 14 cuts into the column of air at the entrance to the impeller and due to the curvature of the blades 14, air will be forced up through the conduit between the cones and ejected from the outer trailing edge I4 of the blades 14. It will be seen that the blades act to impel the air without a large acceleration at any point and that the air velocity throughout the air circuit is maintained relatively low. While the apex angle of the cones is illustrated as 90, it will be understood that such an impeller may be constructed with cones having apex angles different therefrom to a certain degree and that other departures from the exact showing may be made within the purview of the invention.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A rotary impeller for gaseous fluids comprising a central hub member forming an inner cone, a rim member forming an outer cone, and a plurality of long sweeping blades in the space between the cones, curved throughout their length in the form of a helix of uniform pitch on the cone surfaces and substantially normal throughout their width to the cone surfaces, said outer cone being truncated to provide an air entrance having a circular cross section and an air outlet of a cross section in the form of a truncated cone and of an area approximating that of the inlet.

2. A rotary impeller for gaseous fluids comprising a central hub member forming an inner cone, a rim member forming an outer cone, and a plurality of long sweeping blades in the space between the cones, curved throughout their length in the form of a helix of uniform pitch on the cone surfaces and substantially normal throughout their width to the cone surfaces said outer cone being truncated to provide an airentrance having a circular cross section and an air outlet of a cross section in the form of a truncated cone and of an area approximating that of the inlet, said rim member having a toroidal forward edge forming a smoothly curved entrance passage.

3. A rotary impeller for gaseous fluids comprising a central hub member forming an inner cone, a rim member forming an outer cone, and a plurality of long sweeping blades in the space between the cones, curved throughout their length in the form of a helix of uniform pitch on the.

cone surfaces and substantially normal throughout their width to the cone surfaces, said outer CLARENCE J. SWIGERT. 

